Nearly a third of young people in Scotland are cutting back on food to afford other essentials.
New research by anti-poverty charity Trussell reveals that 29% of 16 to 25-year-olds, around 200,000 people, have reduced their food intake in the past three months due to financial pressures.
The research, based on a UK-wide survey of more than 4,500 young people, paints a stark picture of daily hardship.
In Scotland, 26% said they had borrowed money or sold belongings to get by, while 13% had gone without basic toiletries such as toothpaste, shampoo or sanitary products.
Trussell food banks in Scotland distributed 20,000 emergency food parcels to 17 to 24-year-olds in 2025 alone.
The charity is calling for urgent policy action to address the root causes of poverty among young people.
The findings are based on an online survey of 558 people aged 16 to 25 in Scotland, conducted by Savanta on behalf of Trussell between June 15 and June 30, 2026.
The charity’s analysis uses population estimates indicating there are 665,000 people in this age group in Scotland.
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Cara Hilton, senior policy and public affairs manager at Trussell, said: "Young adulthood should be about building independence and laying foundations for the future—not wondering how you’re going to put food on the table.
"But as young people grapple with a lack of job opportunities, sky-high rents and gaps in support, this has become the reality for far too many young people today.
"It's clear that a lack of investment in young people across Scotland and the UK is having dire consequences.
"We need the Scottish and UK governments to act, and quickly, or risk seeing a generation of young people being forced to food banks."
